Day 17: Know Your Enemy
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It's Day 17 of the 31 Days to Hallway Praise challenge!
When Turbo was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, the hospital staff gave us some excellent advice: "Don't Google anything right now. There will be time for that later. For now, just let the doctors explain." And you know what? That advice was perfect. The internet is FULL of conflicting information, opinions, and even evidence. Having just one set of doctors at the hospital to listen to helped cut out all of the controversy.
When we knew nothing about Type 1 diabetes other than that our spark plug had just been diagnosed with it, we felt completely helpless. It was only after talking with the doctors, being trained by the nursing staff, and pouring over the literature the hospital provided that we began to find a foothold to stand on.
And once we were out of the hospital and had adjusted a little bit to our new "normal," we were able to do more in-depth study. Although the hospital didn't recommend any change in diet, we read about other diabetics that were having better blood sugar control with a healthy lifestyle. While that information would have been absolutely overwhelming at diagnosis, we were now able to properly digest it.
So, today's assignment, if you're ready for it, is to know your enemy.
For example, if you're going through a financial squeeze, start researching money-saving ideas. My personal favorites are Money Saving Mom, Living Well Spending Less, The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and The Total Money Makeover (purchasing used copies or finding them at your local library are great ways to save on the cost).
If you've been diagnosed with something, learn about it from doctors you trust. I highly recommend also researching for holistic or natural remedies to help combat it, but be wise with this information. (We've had people tell us not to give Turbo his insulin and just to use natural remedies to treat his blood sugar. While some Type 2 diabetics have been able to manage their disease through diet and lifestyle alone, a Type 1 cannot. We use diet and lifestyle to help him in other ways.) The Truth About Cancer, though very controversial and far from mainstream, is eye opening (but please use caution with this, as always - there are some things they teach that concern me).
If you're struggling in your marriage, seek out Godly, wise counsel. Talk with couples who have made it through a rough patch. Read Scripture. Two of my favorite books on marriage are You & Me Forever and Feminine Appeal. I know there are many others that offer sound, Biblical advice on marriage, too.
Even if it might seem easier to bury your head in the sand, facing your trial head-on and being armed with knowledge can go a long way toward helping you get through it. Your trial might be pretty scary, and the facts about it might be difficult to take at first. But there's nothing worse than not knowing. When you know your enemy, you'll be better able to confront it.
Today's action steps: Determine what your current hallway is - financial, relational, spiritual, etc. Begin looking for Biblical information on your hallway that will help you understand it better. Don't obsess, but do try to spend a few minutes each day learning more about your situation so that you are as prepared as possible and can know your enemy.
